Rabbiting Numpties on the Train

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imageI sometimes think that my mindset hasn’t changed since I was eighteen. I certainly don’t feel any different than I did back then – my body is slightly larger than it was and I have more responsibilities, but I don’t feel out of place or older in any way…

That is, until I sit on a train and have to listen to a group of twenty year-old boys talk about their weekend.

It’s Mother’s Day here in the UK, so I’m currently travelling up north to go and spend the day with mum and the family. We left it a bit late to book a restaurant, so my sister and I are cooking at her flat, which works out perfectly because she has a four month-old pug puppy, Dougal, who can’t be left on his own for very long.

The train is surprisingly quiet, apart from this group of rabbiting numpties (I’ve decided that this is probably the plural of numpty, although I may be wrong) that have sat themselves behind me. Thank goodness they can’t see my face – the eye rolling has reached a maximum as I listen to them talk about how they got away with drink driving, how great they are on their Sunday League football team and how many women they have on the go all at the same time… They’re big men who clearly have their sh*t together, or at least they do in their own minds – they’re getting their own place, they’re buying a new car, they’re getting a promotion at work…

I would have possibly bought some of it, if one of them hadn’t just rung their mum to pick them up from the train station and asked if he could borrow £20.00 so he could go out with his mates this afternoon.

Bless. Sounds like his paper round isn’t paying him enough… It takes me back to when I thought I knew everything as well.

Is it wrong that I’m a little bit envious?

Hope you’re all having a fabulous day!

36 thoughts on “Rabbiting Numpties on the Train”

  2. Life was full of fun at that age before real adult responsibilities came along. Like you, in my mind I’m only marginally more mature now. I’d go back to that time, but only if I could keep my current maturity level.

  3. My twenties was a complete rollercoaster and unfortunately the cons outweighed the pros. I wouldn’t go back unless it was to give myself some much needed advice!

  5. I can so relate to this experience. Train trips are great at helping you to revisit your own journey and there are so many triggers. I get a lot of writing done on trains and you’ll find books I’ve been reading on the train with all sorts of notes scribbled in the back.
    We live in Greater Sydney and I have all my medical and dental appointments down there and my parents still live there as well. So, while unlike my husband, I don’t catch the train down there every weekday, I do get down there fairly often.
    Our regional trains come with quiet carriages and if I’m by myself, that’s where I head. That in itself puts you in a category. We’re the readers, writers, headphoners and sleepers.
    I only catch these trains part of the way and have to change to a conventional train where anything goes and it doesn’t take me long to get annoyed. People talking at the top of their voice in a foreign language on their phone. Business people who seem to think the train carriage is their personal office. These people are just rude. I did have a moment of awareness like yours when a whole ie of school boys piled into the carriage and I noticeably cringed. Yuck! These were boys from the very same school I used to hang out with and I would’ve been only too happy to hang out there back in the day!!
    Meanwhile, our 10 year old daughter is now catching the train to and from school and there are all sorts of antics. When another schools get on, it is referred to as an “invasion”. On Friday, they had a heap of uni student dressed up as Japanese gaming characters get on the train and they gave the kids balloons. Sounded like fun.
    Needless to say, that lot which could easily be classed as “numpties” except they’re attending the selective schools, don’t travel in the quiet carriage.
    xx Rowena

  6. HAHA! All big talk and then phoning mum for a lift, and to borrow some money, love it!
    I would like to have a quick trip back to my early 20s again though, it was great! 🙂

    • I wouldn’t mind having the figure i used to have, but hated having no money and starting on the bottom of the career ladder… What would you do if you could go back for a day Judy?

  7. Ha ha! I frequently overhear youngsters like that and think ‘Surely I didn’t talk so much rubbish at that age?’
    I concur that ‘numpties’ is indeed the plural of ‘numpty’. 🙂

  9. I listen to my sons, who are now 17 and 19, with all kinds of plans. They talk about their friends in college, who do nothing but drink every night. Both of them are bodybuilders, so neither of them go out and party. But it is interesting to hear them talk about how their friends are just wasting their time, drinking, eating and not accomplishing anything. I think back on my twenties, I wasted quite a bit of time, but I sure had fun doing it. I was never as directed and driven as my sons appear to be, kind of makes me wish I could go back , start with a clean slate – knowing what I know now. I like to think I went the circuitous route around to where I am now, but at the same time I still dream of things I can accomplish, just like I did when I was in my 20s.

  10. Rabbiting Numpties, that’s new to me. Love it! Boys will be boys. Hormones raging and that feeling of invincibility. My eyes would be rolling too… 👍🏻😏

  11. Living any of my decades over again has no appeal but if I could have the body and energy I had at 20 back again…sweet 🙂

  12. I always think I’m so much younger than I am…..until I listen to young people talk. Then I realize I don’t want to be young anymore. I just want to have the energy and healing attributes of a teenager.

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